A coalition of web researchers have discovered a new web-tracking technique that could prove difficult to block.
Called canvas fingerprinting, it draws each user a unique, hidden image using typical web code in such a way that existing types of ad blockers and privacy settings can't stop it. These fingerprints then follow you from site to site, feeding information back to the ad servers. The servers can tailor advertisements to your particular profile using this information.
Researchers documented the technique in a new report called "The Web never forgets: Persistent tracking mechanisms in the wild."
Even privacy standard Do Not Track is useless against canvas fingerprinting (making it even more useless, somehow).
Heaven help us
Those who are concerned about their privacy online know that advertisers and other web entities are always coming up with new ways to track browsers' activities.
Some sites will reportedly give users the option to opt out of the new tracking technique, but otherwise there's little you can do.
The fingerprinting technique is currently being tested by a social sharing network called AddThis, which is subsequently used by all manner of sites ranging from California's government websites to Perez Hilton's blog to numerous porn sites.
Thankfully though, the technique has one flaw: it's ever-so-slightly inaccurate, meaning it may never fully catch on.
Via Engadget
